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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · kid · spell · season · firm · mate · race · can

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mate — a friend
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. spell — letters
  6. firm — steady
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. race — a contest
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — humankind
  12. deal — to handle
  13. firm — decided
  14. can — a tin
  15. spell — a short time
  16. can — a tin
  17. season — in sport
  18. spell — magic
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mate — a partner
  22. season — of the year
  23. mate — to breed
  24. firm — a company

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com